Potential Buyer

[Martino]

Sup guys, new here, and new to the Vibe. I`ve been looking for something to replace my old G5, and after looking around a bit, I`ve set my sights on the 2009-10 Vibe. I love the practicality and the reliability of this little hatch, and the fuel economy of the 1.8 looks good compaired to the bigger (and thirstier) 2.2 Ecotec. The reviews I`ve read have been mostly good, save for a few things. The 1.8 has not guts, the steering is dull, understeer is an issue, and the brakes don`t inspire much confidence. I don`t know how true these claims may be, so I`d like to know what you guys think. Also, I`m a guy who likes to push his car a little hard at times, and I need to do my own shifting, can the Vibe take much abuse? I read the 2.4 takes a serious drop in economy and the numbers don`t seem to show a big power increase. Which engine would you recommend? I`m trying to decide between a Vibe GT and a Base with the PerferredSun and Sound Package, which I`d probably modify slightly. Which trim would you swing for? Would love to hear from you owners and entusiasts, what are your hits and misses, experiences and stories. Looking forward to hearing from you. Have a good one.

[vibenvy]

Welcome! You definitely came to the right place for all things Vibe .My mom and I both own 2009 GTs (both autos). We couldn't be happier with them and have no complaints whatsoever.As far as gas mileage goes, we both drive pretty conservatively, but do sometimes get on it. We both average around 27-28 mpg 50% city/50% highway which I don't think is bad at all. I have gotten as high as 33.9 mpg with 100% highway driving. The only engine mod we have is K&N Typhoon CAIs which I highly recommend if you end up going with the 2.4L engine.Really it comes down to you and what your priorities are. If it were me I'd get a GT because of the styling and the fun that the 2.4L provides.

[star_deceiver]

All those claims are false and come from people used to driving $50000 cars every day!I have the 1.8, it gets great mileage and goes quite well! There are plenty of vids to prove this!If I drive nicely I get around 37mpg. In winter with my heavy tries I generally get around 29-30. Mind you, I have the most basic, unoptioned Vibe on here... not even A/C! Be sure to get yourself a nice set of summer rims/tires, like these!!!

[Martino]

Thanks, great to be here! Personally, I love the styling of the sporty GT and the more power under my right foot the better, but practically speaking, I`m a fulltime student (AutoMech) on a budget, and the gas in Montreal ain`t cheap. Plus I know that anything that really pulls will get me in trouble with the law. My question is, will the 1.8 be enough? And can it be easily modded to at least match the 2.4s power? I`m thinking CAI like you mentioned, short throw shifter, and a Cat-Back. Thanks again for your quick reply and opinion. Cheers from Canada.

[star_deceiver]

There is a K&N Sri for the 1.8. Most of the exhaust work would have to be custom as I don't recall finding any bolt on kits.I'm not sure that a short throw shifter would be the best on these cars as the engine doesn't drop its rpm that quickly... but that's nothing a lightweight flywheel won't fix

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by Martino »Personally, I love the styling of the sporty GT and the more power under my right foot the better, but practically speaking, I`m a fulltime student (AutoMech) on a budget, and the gas in Montreal ain`t cheap. Plus I know that anything that really pulls will get me in trouble with the law. My question is, will the 1.8 be enough? And can it be easily modded to at least match the 2.4s power? I`m thinking CAI like you mentioned, short throw shifter, and a Cat-Back. Thanks again for your quick reply and opinion. Cheers from Canada.Honestly the 2.4L isn't that much stronger/faster than the 1.8L to where you'd really have to worry about getting into trouble. IMO it's enough to be fun to drive and enough to get you moving, but it's obviously not a muscle car or anything crazy fast. The 2.4L has 158 horsepower. The 1.8L has 132 horsepower. The K&N CAI for the 2.4L claims to add 9.06 horsepower. The K&N SRI for the 1.8L claims to add 6.37 horsepower.Here are all my fuel fillups since May of 2010 to give you an idea of the decent gas mileage the 2.4L is capable of.

[09vGT]

I have not so much luck as J_TO_ENVY does. I average 24-26 50/50 driving, and I do more city, so realistically its like 22-23 most of the time. My GT has a really rough ride. Much more rough than my previous '00 Mustang. But overall I really like Apollo. Thats his name

[dont13link]

I've got a 2009 base 2.4L auto, and I wouldn't have it any other way. My ex-fiance has a 2010 Corolla with the 1.8L, and the one time I convinced her to race me, I smoked her Corolla. Yes, 26 horsepower doesn't sound like a lot, but when you look at the power/weight ratios, there's a solid difference. While there are a ton of parts for the 2ZZ-FE, they're mostly listed for the Matrix. There's just as many for the 1.8L, but you'll have to look for them under the Matrix for external engine parts, and the Celica for internals, such as cams or a crank.

[tpollauf]

Welcome to this great site. Like Carrie & her mom, our family also has a pair of 2009 Vibe GT's but one is a stick (my RED one ) and the other an auto (junior's Blue one ). I believe the stick GT's are rare (1 out of every 20 were stick) so you may not have any luck finding one. The stick does get slightly better mileage AND is so much more fun to drive Good luck on whatever you end up with

[808 Vibes]

Welcome. Get a blue one

[jake75]

I am a "value" buyer - got my new 2003 at a very good price with dealer discount, GM rebates and GM Card rebates, and got the deal of a lifetime on my new 2009 via the same. While I really really like my Vibe I would not be a buyer at the current used car prices I see on the 2009 and 2010 Vibes. For awhile I saw some reasonable prices on new Matrixes but not recently. My advice is just to fully explore the alternatives. And remember, a dealer is lucky to make $500 on a new car, but a $2,500 profit is more the norm for a late model used car. A used car also takes a big depreciation hit the moment you drive it off the lot.

[TONY TAT2]

09 BASE AUTO,A TO B BACK TO A DAILY COMUTER,IT DOES THE JOB,DOUBT IF I HAD IT OVER 60MPH YET.NO REPAIRS,JUST 3K OIL CHANGES SO FAR. BTW,I TRADED MY G5 IN ON IT

[Kincaid]

Quote, originally posted by Martino »The 1.8 has not guts, the steering is dull, understeer is an issue, and the brakes don`t inspire much confidence. I don`t know how true these claims may be, so I`d like to know what you guys think. Also, I`m a guy who likes to push his car a little hard at times, and I need to do my own shifting, can the Vibe take much abuse? I read the 2.4 takes a serious drop in economy and the numbers don`t seem to show a big power increase. Which engine would you recommend? I`m trying to decide between a Vibe GT and a Base with the PerferredSun and Sound Package, which I`d probably modify slightly. Which trim would you swing for? Would love to hear from you owners and entusiasts, what are your hits and misses, experiences and stories. Looking forward to hearing from you. Have a good one.I have a 2.4L. I really think the difference between that and the 1.8L is the torque. I only did one short test drive with the 1.8L and it certainly felt geared well for the engine, but I have never enjoyed an engine/tranny more than my Vibe - and that includes a Triumph TR4, an '86 Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo, Honda Civic EX VTEC and Accord EX with a stick shift. The 2.4 has a nice wide feeling power band, seems to me.I probably would have been happy with a stick shift 1.8L where I get to choose the gear I'm in, but I really wanted the moon roof so it had to be the 2.4L.I've not noticed understeer but the stock 17" tires are awful so I don't really push it much.Brakes? I've not had an issue and I've had a few panic stops. Again, at this point it seems limited by the tires.I do push my Vibe a bit and I am something of a lead foot. I think it can handle rough treatment just fine. Reliability has been perfect. I have over 27k miles over 2.3 years.Sometimes I do wish I had the economy of the 1.8L but really we are only talking a few dollars every fill up. Not that big of a deal.I like the looks of the GT over the base Vibe, but I did add the rear spoiler. (If I ever get a crunched front cover I'll switch to the GT). One thing I don't miss is the GT leather/cloth seats. Much prefer what I have. If you like to go fast thru the corners, only the GT has the independent rear suspension.

[journeyforce]

If I was you i would give the Vibe 1.8 and Vibe 2.4 a test drive and see. I have a base Vibe with the 1.8l and a stick with nothing except for A/C in it in way of features(A radio and XM in the USA Vibes are standard) I get between 32 to 38 miles a gallon depending how I drive the thing but most of the time I get about 34 miles per gallon.I have taken my Vibe up to about 80-90 at times when it is safe to do so and it seems very happy. The 2009-2010 Vibe has a electric steering box so there is no engine drag.Are you going to be racing and winning against F1 cars? No but will you get passed by Metro's or other econo boxes? No. In other words it keeps up with traffic very well

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by Kincaid »One thing I don't miss is the GT leather/cloth seats. Much prefer what I have.I would love to find two people with Bases to trade seats with. I too am not really a fan of the GT seats .